And he is pleased to see Federer, 35, also back in the fold and playing well. “The good thing is that Roger is back on tour after probably his first important injury,” Nadal said.

“That’s tough but he looks great. He’s played some good matches there in Perth [at the Hopman Cup] so I’m very happy for him.”

After opening his season in Doha for seven of the past eight years, Nadal instead opted this year to begin at the Brisbane International in a bid to better adapt to Australian conditions.

But he lost in the quarter-finals last week to big-serving Milos Raonic.

Nadal admitted he may not hit his best form until later in the year. “I think that I had a great off-season so I am excited about these next few months,” he said.

“You cannot say something about how Roger is, how I am, in just two weeks. In Melbourne anything could happen, but I give myself a little bit more time, three months, and after Miami, let’s see how I am,” he added, referring to the Miami Open in late March.